Heart unit closure plan to be reviewed

18th July 2011

The Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea has been given the right to ask for a High Court judicial review concerning the "deeply flawed process" into its closure.

Bob Bell, chief of the Royal Brompton Trust, said: "This is extremely good news, first and foremost for patients. We have always supported the principle that all babies and children who undergo heart surgery deserve the best possible care. But decisions about the future of such vital services have to be made on the basis of sound, objective evidence, and the decision-making process must, of course, be entirely transparent. These conditions were not met by those responsible for this review."